Topic 7: Preparing for departure
Knowing in advance your mission area
Prior to your departure to the affected country it is essential to collect all the available relevant data that could be useful for the success of the mission. This is what we call baseline information that is typically provided by the agency responsible for your deployment. There are circumstances where it will not be possible to brief all team members nor will you necessarily receive an assembled briefing folder during the mobilisation. If such is the case, the following are important information that soon-to-be-deployed personnel are requested to follow through the agency website and/or other available sources:
- The Situation
- Information/situation reports on the disaster
- Latest media reports
- Terms of Reference
- Other information, e.g., International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC/ICRC) reports, and so on
- Country Information
- Country profile
- Other available information on the country, e.g. CIA Factbook
- Political information, e.g., sensitive issues
- Maps:
-Map covering the whole country.
-Map covering the affected area (large scale) - Reports on previous disasters in the area
List of relief items and goods available at your organisation’s warehouse - Contact information for:
-Offices in the country.
-Possible contacts in the capital, e.g. ministries, embassies, non-government organisations (NGO’s), hotels, travel agencies, etc.
-Telephone/fax list of your organisation’s staff (Including home numbers).